A Menagerie of Musings
by AnotherDreamer
Summary: A collection of fic-lets about love, loss, and new beginnings. Featuring Draco and Hermione, Cedric and Cho, and others. Please RR.
1. Butterflies

**_-Butterflies-_**

_Breathe in…breathe out…breathe in…breathe out…_His hands slide up my side, leaving a fire in their wake, and I wonder why they are not cold and rough. He touches me, and I lose my senses, the world blurs like a watercolor painting, a mix of color, each one melting into the next. He whispers my name softly, _"Hermione…" _in that special way that only he can, and I feel my insides melt and my heart set ablaze.

The stone wall is cold against my back through my cotton shirt, and I bite my lip to keep from crying out as he presses into me, as close as our bodies will allow, and I ache in agony as I try to pull him closer still. I run my hand through his soft silken hair, relishing the feel of it between my fingers. He whispers sweet nothings into my ear, and I know that this night I am his.

He kisses me now, gently, like I never imagined was possible for him, and I moan despite myself. He is so soft around his edges, and I wonder how I could not have noticed before. His eyes are so tender with passion it makes me want to cry, and the way he holds me is like being cradled by a cloud. He runs his hand along my cheek, and it is as soft as the wing beats of a butterfly, the butterfly that flutters about where I know my heart should be.

As he touches me, I know that I would never want to be away from him. My heart calls to him, and whispers the words that echo in my soul that I know I must voice before the ending of this dream, this fantasy brought to life. I must make it real.

So, in a candlelit dimness, I whisper the words to him that have been ringing my heart since the first day I saw him, though I did not know it then, I am sure of it now. Uncertainly, I pull away from him and utter the sentence that will change everything forever.

"Draco, I love you."


	2. Certain Uncertainties

_-**Certain Uncertainties-**_

"Cedric, I can't help feeling that something is wrong," Cho whispered to him one summer's eve on the lake by Hogwarts. The sun had just begun to sink, an orange ball in the distance that made the eyes sting if one tried to look at it properly. Cho lay in the grass by the water, propped up on her elbow on her side. She gazed worriedly at Cedric.

"Like what?" Cedric was curious. Cho looked desperately worried.

"Something, Cedric. I don't know what it is, but something about the Tournament. I think—I think something's going to happen to—to—"

"To who?"

"To you," Cho whispered, a single tear sliding down her cheek. Cedric reached out and brushed away the tear, cupping Cho's face with his hand.

"Nothing's going to happen to me, Cho. I promise."

"I just—I just—I think I love you." Cedric's heart was beating wildly in his chest as she proclaimed her feelings for him.

"I—I love you too." He smiled shyly at her. He could feel a blush creeping onto his cheeks. "And you don't have to worry. I can take care of myself. Really."

"Are you sure, I—"

"I'm sure. Just as sure as I am about this." He leaned close to her and pressed his lips to hers gently. His first kiss.

Now it was Cho's turn to blush. She said shyly, "Could we—try that again?" Cedric only nodded. He couldn't seem to speak. Cho leaned toward him, closing the remaining space between them, and kissed him again.

Neither of them had ever been so happy. Their joy enveloped them and closed them in a word of their own. The innocence of first love captured them and owned them, joining them.

Tomorrow would be the fourth and final Task. Little did either know how true Cho's words would come to be. Cedric would be captured and killed by Lord Voldemort the following day, and Cho would never see him again.

**Disclaimer: **All characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. (Sorry, I forgot to include this in my last chappie…;)


	3. III

"Ginny, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Harry looked at the freckle-faced redheaded girl expectantly. He noted her hands. She was wringing them in her lap and biting her lip, trying not to look nervous but not doing a very good job. Harry shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this, Harry," Ginny tried.

"Just start talking, Gin."

"You know I've never been good with that."

He'd been with her for seven months now, a time that Harry had treasured deeply. It had started so innocently and he loved her so much it hurt inside him. He was surprised to find she had tears in her eyes.

"Ginny, what is it?"

"No Harry, I just can't. It'll ruin everything."

Ginny loved Harry. But she was afraid to tell him. What if he left her? She couldn't handle that. Not after everything they'd been through together. Not after the tenderness he'd shown her.

"Please don't make me tell you, Harry," Ginny whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I love you too much to lose you."

"I love you, Ginny. There is nothing you could tell me right now that could force me away."

"How can you know that? How can you be so sure?"

"Please trust me Ginny," Harry said, wiping the tear away with his thumb. "I'm not leaving you."

He reached out for her and she came, came to that familiar place nestled against his warm body. Her head resting on his shoulder, her body heaved and shook, terrified of what she was about to say.

She pulled away and looked up at him, her blue eyes piercing through his, watery but strong.

"Harry, I'm pregnant.


End file.
